Play It Strange
Play It Strange Trust is a New Zealand charitable trust running annual songwriting competitions for secondary school students (Years 9–13), providing free entry, professional recording sessions for finalists, and digital release of student songs on Spotify and Bandcamp, funded by government grants, gaming trusts, and corporate sponsors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Play It Strange firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Play It Strange
- Legal name
- Play It Strange Trust
- Website
- https://playitstrange.org.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Play It Strange Trust is a New Zealand charitable trust running annual songwriting competitions for secondary school students (Years 9–13), providing free entry, professional recording sessions for finalists, and digital release of student songs on Spotify and Bandcamp, funded by government grants, gaming trusts, and corporate sponsors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Play It Strange is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Play It Strange business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grants and Funding: Play It Strange is funded through grants from government bodies (NZ On Air, Creative New Zealand), gaming trusts (Lion Foundation, Aotearoa Gaming Trust, Four Winds Foundation), charitable foundations (Wright Family Foundation, One Aotearoa Foundation, Foundation North), and community trusts (Trillian Trust, Youthtown).
- Donations and Patron Program: Individual donations and patron program where supporters commit to annual donations to support young songwriters with recording studio sessions and mentorship opportunities.
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with companies like JBL, The Rockshop, Giltrap Group, Concord Music Publishing, and MusicWorks who provide in-kind support, prizes, and funding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time | Free Competition Entry |
| Freemium | One time | Finalist Recording Sessions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Play It Strange product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Play It Strange Trust is a charitable trust that runs free annual songwriting competitions for New Zealand secondary school students in Years 9-13. Competition finalists receive fully-funded professional recording studio sessions (valued at $850+GST each) and have their songs released on digital platforms including Spotify and Bandcamp. The organization also operates the 'On The Record' podcast featuring alumni and industry interviews.
Product overview
Play It Strange is a charitable trust established in 2003 that operates a portfolio of songwriting competitions for young New Zealanders in secondary school (Years 9-13). The core offering consists of five annual competitions: the Junior Songwriting Competition (Years 9-11), the National Songwriting Competition (Years 9-13), the Waiata Māori Competition, the Peace Project Competition, and the Strange Album Art Competition. All competition finalists receive professional recording studio sessions and their songs are released on digital albums via Spotify and Bandcamp. Supporting offerings include the 'On The Record' podcast hosted by alumni, the 'Songwriters Speak' content series, and 'Mike's Musings' blog by founder Mike Chunn. The organization has operated for over two decades, with over 7,000 songs entered and more than 1,500 recording sessions provided to young songwriters.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Junior Songwriting Competition: Annual songwriting competition for Year 9-11 secondary school students
- Peace Project
- Waiata Māori Competition
- National Songwriting Competition
- Strange Album Art Competition
- On The Record Podcast
Products and services
- Junior Songwriting Competition An annual free songwriting competition for New Zealand secondary school students in Years 9-11 (ages 13-15), open across any genre, language, or style. Finalists receive professional recording sessions and digital release of their songs.
- National Songwriting Competition The flagship free songwriting competition open to all NZ secondary school students in Years 9-13, encouraging creative expression with no restrictions on theme, genre, language, or style. Finalists receive professional studio recording time and digital release on Spotify and Bandcamp.
- Waiata Māori Competition An annual songwriting competition inviting Year 9-13 NZ secondary school students to share their kōrero and bring te reo Māori rangatira to life through waiata, incorporating te reo Māori in any proportion.
- Peace Project Competition A songwriting competition with a peace theme for NZ secondary school students, inviting songs about inner peace, mental health, familial issues, and broader social themes of peace and hope. Supported by the Wright Family Foundation.
- Strange Album Art Competition An annual competition seeking four artworks to feature as cover art for Play It Strange competition albums, open to secondary school students in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Companies that use Play It Strange
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Play It Strange technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Play It Strange partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Universal Music New Zealand (nextWAV Program)corePlay It Strange named as industry partner for Universal Music New Zealand's nextWAV 12-month artist development program for emerging young Kiwi talent aged 16-18. Provides mentorship, industry expertise, and pathway for program participants.
- APRA AMCOScoreMusic rights organization that provides office space for Play It Strange and supports the organization through royalty collection and music industry connections.
- Live Nation New ZealandmajorLive entertainment company providing support and performance opportunities for young artists in the nextWAV program.
- The RockshopminorMusic retailer providing in-kind support including prizes for competition winners.
- Concord Music PublishingminorMusic publisher providing support for Play It Strange programs and young songwriters.
- Giltrap Groupminorautomotive group providing in-kind support for youth music programs.
- JBLminorAudio equipment brand providing prizes for competition winners.
- MusicWorksminorMusic retailer providing in-kind support including instruments and equipment for young songwriters.
- Kerridge and PartnersminorLaw firm providing pro bono professional services support.
- Content LawminorLegal services provider supporting Play It Strange with intellectual property and content law matters.
- SCGminorCompany providing in-kind support for youth music programs.
- Edwin HooperminorPhotographer providing in-kind photography services for events and programs.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Play It Strange competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Songtrust: Music publishing administration service helping independent songwriters collect global royalties. Related as an enabling service that many Play It Strange alumni could eventually use to monetise compositions emerging from the program.
- Concord Music Publishing: Global music publisher providing in-kind support to Play It Strange. Comparable as an industry participant in the broader music-rights ecosystem that overlaps with the songwriters Play It Strange develops.
- APRA AMCOS: NZ/Australian music rights organisation that also provides grant programs for songwriters and hosts Play It Strange's offices. Related as an industry partner and ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- VH1 Save The Music Foundation: Established music-education non-profit supporting school music programs. Comparable as a larger, well-funded music charity in a related space, though focused on instrument access rather than songwriting competitions.
Direct peers
- Nashville Songwriters Association Foundation: US non-profit running youth songwriting programs, workshops, and competitions. Directly comparable as a long-standing songwriting-competition charity developing emerging young songwriters, though operating at materially larger scale.
- The Song Room: Australian non-profit delivering tailored music and arts programs to disadvantaged children, including songwriting workshops. Comparable as a geographically adjacent, mission-aligned youth music education charity operating in a similar funding environment.
- Song Academy: UK-based non-profit running songwriting competitions, workshops, and masterclasses for young people aged 8-18, with a similar model of free competition entry plus professional development opportunities, directly comparable to Play It Strange's youth songwriting competition focus.
Regional players
- NZ Music Commission: Crown entity supporting NZ music development across artists, industry, and audiences. Comparable as a national music-development body in the same geography, but broader in mandate than Play It Strange's youth-songwriting focus.
Emerging players
- Music Will: US-based non-profit (formerly Little Kids Rock) providing music education, including songwriting, to school-aged children. Comparable mission in youth music development, though with a broader curriculum focus.
- GRAMMY Music Education Coalition: US non-profit coalition advocating for music education in schools. Loosely comparable as a music-education advocacy body, though focused on curriculum access rather than songwriter competition.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Play It Strange social profiles
Digital presencePlay It Strange financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Play It Strange leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Play It Strange funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Play It Strange M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Play It Strange
What does Play It Strange do?
Play It Strange Trust is a charitable trust that runs free annual songwriting competitions for New Zealand secondary school students in Years 9-13. Competition finalists receive fully-funded professional recording studio sessions (valued at $850+GST each) and have their songs released on digital platforms including Spotify and Bandcamp. The organization also operates the 'On The Record' podcast featuring alumni and industry interviews.
Is Play It Strange a public or private company?
Play It Strange is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Play It Strange founded?
Play It Strange was founded in 2003. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Play It Strange based?
Play It Strange is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Play It Strange make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grants and Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations and Patron Program and corporate Partnerships.
Who are Play It Strange's main competitors?
Others on record are Songtrust, Concord Music Publishing and APRA AMCOS. VH1 Save The Music Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Nashville Songwriters Association Foundation, The Song Room and Song Academy. NZ Music Commission is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Music Will and GRAMMY Music Education Coalition.
Does Play It Strange have an API?
No public API is recorded for Play It Strange.